Michel Kichka (born 1954 in Liège) is a renowned cartoonist and illustrator living in Jerusalem. In his graphic novel Second Generation, he addresses the impact the traumatization of his father, Holocaust survivor Henri Kichka (born 1926 in Brussels), had on him and his siblings. The publication forms the beginning of a long journey through the past into the future. The film follows father and son Kichka during two intensive years in Israel, Belgium, France with many interlocutors. In one of the most intense moments of the film, father and son go to the place where Henri was arrested by the Gestapo in 1942. The 63-year-old Michel has never been there before, the 91-year-old Henri avoids this place, which for him is filled with the worst feelings ever, it manifests in him the second that was to change his life forever horrible.
In all honesty, “Black and Blue” is a satisfying experience, complete with solid craftsmanship. With the help of cinematographer Dante Spinotti, Deon Taylor (the director) creates a murky, lived in atmosphere.
What seems like such a simple story of survival is so much more than that—it’s a story of family, and of war, and of destruction. It’s painful to watch, but not in a bad way. It makes its audience reflect on their own actions, and in how they are complicit in the sufferings of others as the adults in this film are. Grave of the Fireflies does not hold back from being heartbreaking, and it shouldn’t. It tells a message that needs to be heard decades after the war, and a story that cannot be forgotten by history.
Not only does the system prevent upward mobility, but it makes it incredibly easy to slide from comfortably middle class to unhoused.
That feeling in your gut which tells you that there’s something out there you should look for and make your own, is what the power represents
Although Christmas is a time of year for love and cheer for all, holiday cinema has not always represented diverse communities. Being a holiday with Christian origins, much of its media consists of straight white families or straight white romances. Luckily, modern years have been bringing with them plenty of POC and LGBTQ+ representation that the holidays so desperately need.
